Get Fit and Shed Fat With An Indoor Bike Trainer

by Head Health Nutter on September 28, 2011

While it’s still gorgeous outside and I’m sucking up the autumn rays every chance I get, there’s no reason why we can’t plan ahead for the sharp cold winds of winter. Here’s a guest post by cycling enthusiast, Ron Fritzke, educating us about indoor bike trainers.

Obesity is becoming an epidemic, not only in the United States but throughout the world. In fact, according to the WHO (World Health Organization), in 2008, nearly 1.5 million adults were considered overweight and over 500 million people were categorized as being obese.

That is pretty mind blowing because obesity is something that is completely preventable with a decent diet and exercise regiment.

Some people have a very difficult time getting into exercise. Most hate having to go to a gym, either because it costs too much, they can’t find the time to get to one or they are too embarrassed to workout in front of others.

Well, a great way to get your daily exercise and burn fat in the privacy of your own home is with an indoor bicycle trainer.

An Indoor Bike Trainer? What is it?

Up until a few years ago, I had never heard of indoor bike trainers, either. Boy am I glad that I know what they are now because they are such a super exercise tool and I don’t think I could live without it. In a nutshell, an indoor bicycle trainer is just a device that allows the rider to ride their bicycle indoors, turning it into a stationary bike.

There are three main types of bike trainers; magnetic, fluid and wind trainers. Each adds resistance, so the rider can make rides as challenging as they want.

A roller powered flywheel that spins through a magnetic field creates the resistance for a magnetic bike trainer such as the Cycleops mag trainer.

Fluid bike trainers, like the Cycleops fluid trainer or the Kinetic Road Machine create resistance by spinning an impeller through silicone fluid. This group of trainers has historically been at the top of the heap, but there are some new magnetic trainers, like the Cycleops Supermagneto Pro that are giving the fluid trainers a run for their money.

A wind trainer creates resistance for the rider by using roller powered air fans. This type is usually the least expensive of the three types, but it’s typically the loudest and the least ‘powerful’.

All three types of trainers allow the rider the capability of riding indoors for a great low-impact, high calorie burning workout.

Benefits Of Indoor Bike Trainers

An indoor bicycle trainer has a plethora of wonderful benefits. First, it allows the exercise year-round without the worry of bad weather throwing a wrench into a workout. Being able to stay consistent with a workout means it will be easier to stay fit and keep unwanted fat and weight off.

Some other benefits of an indoor bicycle trainer include:

Builds a rider’s confidence without them taking risks on outdoor roads. There are no worries of icy streets, steep hills, rocky terrain, or traffic.

You can use any bike which means finding a bike to “fit your body” should be much easier than having to use a stationary bike that is typically a “one size fits all”.

You can workout on an indoor bike trainer any time you want (no hibernation during winter months and it’s easy to schedule a workout into your day).

They provide a challenging workout with lots of calories burned. Especially with the ability to modify the resistance level.

Build endurance and leg strength.

Bicycle trainers are fairly inexpensive (some are $150 or less). You also save money because you don’t need an expensive gym membership and you save on gas as well as wear and tear on your vehicle since you don’t have to drive to a gym.

Boredom is low because you can watch TV, listen to music, or even read while you ride.

Training is low-impact, so it is easy on muscles and joints. Also, there are no worries about getting injured in an accident since there are no road hazards to be concerned with.

If you are already a competitive rider, this gives you another method of training to add to your arsenal.

Keep Excess Weight and Fat Off With A Bike Trainer

Using an indoor trainer is a fantastic way to shed weight and put your metabolism in overdrive. I like the fact that an indoor bike trainer is versatile in that you can set the resistance level to low or medium and go on a lengthy ride for a low intensity fat-burning workout. You can also crank the resistance level up and work in some intervals and short sprints. This will really kick-start your metabolism to burn fat, as well as improve your cardiovascular fitness and endurance.

About the Author

Ron Fritzke is a cycling enthusiast who reviews cycling gear for his website, Cycling-Review.com. Ron is also a former 2:17 marathoner who now directs his competitive efforts toward racing his bike…and looking for good cycling products.

Thanks Ron for this informative guest post! Do YOU have an indoor bike trainer?